


Daddy, Daddy Come Here

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Series: Family is Everything [18]
Category: Jersey Boys - Gaudio/Crewe/Brickman/Elice
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Drama, Family, Lawyers, M/M, Parenthood, court room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 05:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8784688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: There is nothing Bob want's more than to be able to legally say Francine is his daughter.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the show "Fun Home"

Francine sighed as she stepped off the school bus into the brisk afternoon. It was early November and the forecast was already threatening snow soon. She hitched her backpack higher and began the short walk home.

 

She opened the door to the house and sighed, it had been a long day.

  
  
"Dad, Papa I'm home!" Francine called out.

 

"In the kitchen," Frankie called. 

  
  
Francine dropped her bag by the door and toed off her shoes before making her way to the kitchen. Her dad was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed while Bob sat at the kitchen table looking worried and slightly nervous.

 

Francine looked between them, "What's going on here?" She furrowed her brow.

 

"We need to talk to you about something," Frankie said. He nodded to Bob, handing over the reins. 

  
  
"Well," he started hesitantly, "you dad and I have been married for about six months now and I've been thinking about this for a while, but I needed to wait until this long after the wedding for legal reasons."

  
  
"I'm not sure what you're trying to say," Francine said. She was starting to get a little concerned. 

  
  
Bob took a deep breath, "Francine, you know that I love you and I've called you my daughter for nearly five years now, but I want to make it official. I want...I'm putting in a legal petition to adopt you."

  
  
Francine blinked. That was certainly not what she'd been expecting. She saw Bob's face start to fall the longer she stayed silent.    
  


 

Francine began to smile, "Really?"

 

Bob was not given the chance to reply before Francine threw her arms around him happily. He gasped slightly and quickly wrapped her up in a hug. 

  
  
"It's really something you want?" Bob asked tentatively. 

  
  
"Of course it is," assured Francine, resting her cheek against his chest and squeezed him tightly.

 

Bob happily returned her embrace, "I love you."

 

"I love you too, Papa," Francine murmured back.

 

The next week passed without event except for the  excitement simmering under Francine's skin. She had considered Bob her father for so long that the idea of it being legally true was exhilarating. 

  
  
Of course it couldn't last. She came home from school one day to find Frankie and Bob in the same positions as before, both with pained expressions. Francine didn't like to think that something bad had happened so she figured she could at least try and brighten the mood.

  
  
"Come on you can at least pretend to be happy to see me," she teased setting down her bag.

 

"Sit down, Francine," Frankie said softly. 

  
  
Francine pulled out a chair and lowered herself into it. 

  
  
"What's going on?" she asked. 

  
  
"It's about the adoption," Bob said, hurrying on when he saw Francine's eyes widen, "It's still happening, I still want it to happen. We both do. There's just been a bit of a complication."

  
  
"What?" Francine whispered. 

  
  
"When I sent in by petition, one of things the legal team did was contact the person who is still your legal parent."

  
  
She knew what was coming, but she really didn't want to hear it. 

  
  
"Your mother is protesting the petition," Bob said, "Or at least she's threatening to.”

  
  
Francine's breaths were short gasps, her eyes pricking with tears. Her mother had already ruined her life once. Why couldn't that be enough? She rose from the chair so quickly that it nearly toppled over and rushed from the kitchen, ignoring the calls of her name that followed her to her room.

 

\-----------

 

Francine felt like she had been staring at her ceiling for hours, she kept trying to fall asleep but she couldn't. She had tossed and turned but she was still wide awake. 

 

Tomorrow they would be going to court and the rest of her life would be decided by some stranger who had no right to make such a decision. Even worse than that, tomorrow she would have to face her mother, the person who had abandoned her so long ago, left her and forgotten her like an old shoe. Not that she didn't love her life now. Her dad and papa were the best thing that had ever happened to her.

 

Francine sat up and pulled her knees to her chest and breathed deep, she didn't want to go. Why did her mother want her now when it was so clear she didn't want her before?

 

The frustrating thing was that some part of her was slightly hopeful that they could work things out, that she could have some resemblance of a relationship with her mother. She tried hard to push that away. Why would she want to be involved with someone who had so little regard for her? Not for the first time, she wished that things were different, that she had always lived with her father. Maybe then she wouldn't have to go through this bullshit.

 

She wished she didn't have to go tomorrow. It was then from her room she could hear her dads talking.

 

From her room she could only hear the murmur of their voices. As she wasn't sleeping anyway, she climbed out of bed and crept part way up the stairs that lead to heir bedroom. She used to do this when she was younger in order to here her dad tell her papa about his night singing at the club and she perfected the art of which stair to sit on to get the best sound quality but remain unseen. 

  
  
"...what will happen tomorrow," Bob was saying. His voice was strained like he was holding back emotion.

 

"I dunno Bobby," Frankie sighed, "I don't want to lose my little girl."

  
  
Francine's breath hitched, she hadn't thought about that as being an outcome, what if for some  reason the judge decided she would be "better off" with her mother.

 

"That won't happen," said Bob forcefully, "We won't let that happen. We have a good case, Frankie. We're married, we've been raising her for five years. She's our daughter."   


  
"I know, I know..."

  
  
Francine bit her lower lip, she wanted to stay her with her Dad and Papa, she didn't want to go anywhere else. She rested her head on the stairs and although she tried to stay awake she ended up drifting off to the sound of her dads taking turns gently reassuring each other in hushed tones. At some point during the night she floated into wakefulness to find herself in Bob's arms being carried back down to her room. She fell asleep again, feeling Bob's lips pressing to her forehead as he pulled the blankets up to her chin.    
  
\----------

 

When they arrived at the courthouse Francine stuck by her dads even more so when she saw her mother with her lawyer and a little girl she didn't know. Who was she and why was she here?   


  
Her mother spotted her and waved but Francine frowned and stood stock still.

  
  
"Hi sweetie!" Mary approached.

 

The little girl followed Mary, "Francine there is someone you should meet."

 

Francine's glance swept over the girl. There was some obvious resemblance to Mary.

 

“Francine this is your little sister Celia,” Mary introduced her to the little girl with light brown hair.

 

“I don’t have a sister,” Francine replied firmly.

 

“Francine,” Mary frowned.

 

“I don’t,” Francine shook her head, “she,” she pointed at Celia, “is not my sister.”

 

Frankie just watched this exchange in silence, he’d never seen Francine behave like this before. Bob took a step closer to her. 

  
  
"Francine," he said softly. 

  
  
"No," Francine said, her eyes never leaving the younger girl's face, "Can we go inside now, Papa?"

  
  
Some part of Francine enjoyed the way Mary wasn't able to hide the slight flinch when she called Bob her papa.

 

"Of course sweetie," Bob placed his hand on her shoulder.

 

Francine finally tore her gaze away from the little girl with her mother's eyes, taking Bob's hand in hers as they walked into the court building. It was already shaping up to be a long day.

 

\----------

 

Francine didn't understand much of what was going on in the courtroom as she watched the judge talk. She wished she did because even though she was here nothing made sense. Before the process had started, their lawyer Mr. Troup had tried to reassure her that everything would be okay but she wasn't so sure. She felt like her mother's eyes were on her the whole time and it made her feel uncomfortable, like she was being scrutinized.

 

She wrung her hands as she sat there, she jerked when the judge brought down the gavel to say the court was now in recess.

  
  
Francine took a large breath, looking at her dads. Frankie's gaze was miles away and Bob looked like he might be sick. When they saw her, both attempted a reassuring smile. Francine felt something twisting in her chest, worry gnawing at her belly. 

  
  
"Mr. Troup."

  
  
Despite only the lawyer being addressed, all four of them looked over at the new arrival. It was Mary's lawyer, smiling gently. 

  
  
"Sarah Livingston Jay," she introduced, "but of course you know that."

  
  
"I do," said Mr. Troup, his voice mild, "What can I do for you?"

  
  
"My client would like to attempt to settle," Ms. Jay replied, "Could we all converse?"

  
  
Without waiting for an answer, Ms. Jay gens tired for Mary to come over. The little girl--not my sister, Francine thought furiously--sticking to her side like glue.

 

Celia looked up at her with wide eyes and Francine made a show of turning away, Bob noticed and sighed but did nothing in terms of scolding her.

 

"What kind of settlement are we looking at?" Mr. Troup asked. 

  
  
"Legal guardianship," Ms. Jay said, "for Mr. Gaudio."

  
  
"What does that mean?" queried Bob. 

  
  
"It's not a full adoption," Mr. Troup responded, "Ms. Delgado would still be considered Francine's parent legally."

  
  
"There's also the issue of visitation," Ms. Jay continued, "My client would like to have visitation every other weekend, preferably at her home."

  
  
“No” Francine shook her head, she did not like the idea of visitation. Maybe once upon a time she would have liked to see her mother but things had changed, “I won’t go, you can’t make me.”

  
  
Frankie didn’t know what to say, if it came to be that Mary pressed hard enough for the courts  to grant her visitation rights there really wasn’t much that he and Bob could do about it, especially since Francine was a minor.

  
  
“Don’t I get a say?” Francine looked between her mother and her dads, “This is so unfair.”

  
  
“Francine,” Mary spoke up, “you don’t know how much I’ve missed you-”

  
  
“Then why didn’t you come back?” Francine raised her voice, it was clear that she was trying very hard not to cry, “you could have come back at any time mom…” she paused, “but you didn’t.” Francine looked at the little girl who stood beside Mary, “besides it seems you’ve moved on, you don’t need me.” 

  
  
“Francine don’t say that,” Mary shook her head, “you can’t possibly understand what was going on all those years ago.”

  
  
“I don’t care,” Francine shook her head, “you left me! You hardly even said goodbye!” Despite what everyone thought there were moments from that day that Francine remember as clearly as if they had happened yesterday. When she was younger she even had nightmares about it and lately those nightmares had returned, but she didn’t want to go with her mother, not even for a short period of time. “How can any mother do that?” Francine began to shake.   
  


"I don't think we're going to settle," Frankie said quietly, "What we want is for Bob to adopt Francine, not have a tenuous connection to her. What could he do as he 'legal guardian' that he can't do now? The answer is nothing. We don't get anything from that deal and it's obvious that Francine doesn't want to see Mary. Her feelings need to be taken into account."

 

"Mr. Castelluccio, Francine is a minor," Ms. Jay began, "she doesn't know-"

  
  
"Yes she does," Frankie interrupted her, "my daughter is fourteen, she his lived with Bob and I for the last five years with no contact from her mother, she knows what she wants."

 

"I believe that's your answer, Ms. Jay," Mr. Troup said, "No settlement."

  
  
"Dad I want some water," Francine spoke quietly.

  
  
"Okay sweetie," Frankie sighed.

  
  
"The drinking fountain is down the hall to the left," Mr. Troup supplied. 

  
  
Francine stepped away from all of them started walking down the hall.

 

She ignored the footsteps echoing her own and walked to the water fountain without looking back. It took several long gulps of cold water before Francine stopped feeling like she was going to vibrate out of her skin. She knew who she would see when she looked up from the water fountain and indeed she found Celia a few feet away. 

  
  
"What do you want?" Francine snapped.

 

The little girl shrugged her shoulders.

  
  
Francine furrowed her brow, it was almost like looking at a young version of her herself, "How old are you?"

  
  
"Six," Celia replied.

 

“Six,” Francine scoffed, “I bet she’s going to just leave you too.”

 

“Mommy won't do that," Celia shook her head.

 

“Right,” Francine snorted, “I used to think that too.”

 

Celia cocked her head in confusion.

 

"Just leave me alone," Francine turned on her heel and walked away. To say she was resentful would be an understatement, Francine could hardly put a label on the odd mixture of feelings that was welling up inside her. A little anger, a dash of confusion, a heaping spoonful of pain and hurt was a recipe for angst. She knew that at one time she had loved her mother and thought that her mother loved her but things had changed. Why had her mother waited till now to do anything? She hadn't even ever came to visit... She wished more than anything that this day would end and it could go back to being just her and her dads.

 

\----------   
  
Francine drifted again, her own thoughts drowning out whatever was going on around her. She only emerged from the turmoil in her mind when she heard the judge say her name. 

  
  
"Francine," the judge said again gently, "I'd like to ask you some questions, if that's alright."

  
  
Francine nodded.

 

"Francine," the judge adjusted his glasses, "in this situation what would you want to happen?"

  
  
Francine was surprised, she didn't think she was going to get this chance.

  
  
"You are old enough to have a say in the matter and this affects you too," The judge continued.

  
  
"I want to stay with my Dad and Papa," Francine replied, "no one else."

 

"What about your mother?" the judge asked, "Wouldn't you like to see her?"

  
  
This was it. This was when she could decide once and for all. There was no guarantee that the judge would actually take what she said into account, but she had been given this chance. Her first instinct was of course to say no, but she forced herself to think about it for at least a moment. She looked over at Mary and found her mother looking directly at her. Mary flashed a small smile, but Francine didn't feel comforted in the least and seeing Celia again only increased that feeling. 

  
  
"She left me," Francine said softly, "I was eight and she left me. I don't care if she thinks she wants me now, she didn't want me back then. I love my Papa and I want him to stay my Papa."

 

Mary's smile faltered but Francine didn't care, she knew what she wanted despite what the courts had said otherwise. She had said her piece and now all she could do was hope and pray that she would be heard.

 

The judge hummed thoughtfully. 

  
  
"Very well," he said, "I will go deliberate in my chambers. Please remain in the court room for the time being."

  
  
Everyone rose when the judge did and Francine immediately wrapped her arms around Frankie's middle, resting her head on his chest. 

  
  
"You were very brave," Frankie murmured, kissing the crown of her head, "telling the judge what you really felt. So brave."

 

Francine wasn't sure how long they waited but it felt like an eternity and with each passing minute her anxiety grew. Her cheek was still on Frankie's chest and she barely registered that Bob had come up to her other side, bracketing her between her dads in a soothing huddle. They didn't separate when the judge returned. 

  
  
Francine's heart thudded against her chest as she watched the judge take a seat and they all did the same. This could be the moment her life changed, and that terrified her. 

 

"After reviewing the testimony from both sides," the judge started, "I have decided to dismiss Ms. Delgado's protest to the adoption petition. Mr. Gaudio will be allowed to adopt Francine and will receive all of the legal rights associated with that. There will be no required visitation, although Francine will always be allowed to contact Ms. Delgado if she so wishes.”

 

Francine perked up and she couldn't help the stream of happy tears that sprung to her eyes. Her dads then took that moment to hug her.   
  


"So."

  
  
Mary's voice interrupted their bubble of happiness and they all untangled, although Frankie and Bob stayed close to Francine, one of them on either side. 

  
  
"So," Frankie repeated, no malice in his voice. Regardless of what had happened, he never really hated Mary. Resented her for not telling him about Francine earlier? Definitely. Hate her? Never.

  
  
"I guess this is goodbye?" Mary asked.

  
  
"That's what it seems like," Frankie replied.

 

"Francine?"

  
  
The girl didn't look up to meet Mary's gaze until Bob gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. 

  
  
"You can get in touch," Mary said softly, "if you ever want to."

  
  
Francine didn't respond, her gaze flicking down to Celia then up to Mary and finally landed resolutely on the far wall in a clear dismissal. 

  
  
Mary sighed, "If you ever change your mind..."

  
  
She left the sentence unfinished, walking away with Celia by her side.

 

Francine let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding, looking up at Frankie. Her eyes were filled with tears that wouldn't fall and she didn't know why. 

  
  
"Can we go home now?" whispered Francine.

 

"Sure thing sweetie," Frankie nodded.

 


End file.
